New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-17
ASPECTS or PAPAL POLICY

Prince Bismarck does not Iay empty COM
piments and be has described Leo MIL. as
statesmannke Pope. hat the tribute Is
well merited every intelligent student Of the
history of our own times will readily conccde
| Plus *, with all his robust traits OF mind
lacked one Of the most con, picuOuS OF Italian
! charac tcris tics-ilcXibihty III the adaptation
Of means TO ends. so aggressive and uncon-
ciIiatory was he that during the last decade
Of his pontihcatc the Church was araycd
against political opinion in almost every
European country. HIS successor has wrought
remarkable change in the foreign relations
OF the Vatican. His letter 10 Cardinal Ram
polla recently published contains a very clear
account Of his policy in dealing with Courts.
Governments and nations and eniorccs Tho
principles which have controlled and directed
the Vatican's diplomacy since he has been
Pope 30 long as spiritual teaching is not I'M
perillcd he is willing to accept every form OF
government and to tolerate every phase Of
public opinion, discerning always the pract-
cal ends u be accomplished and accommodate
ing himself to political conditions. In Bel
GUM the Catholic party has been greatly
siren gthened in recent elections by the Pope =
moderation in Spain the Liberal party has
ceased 10 distrust the clergy and is wiling
TO intust them with the states educational
interests in Ireland the primatc has been
allowed TO become almost as powerful Home
Ruler as Mr.. Parnc and the clergy have
been encouraged TO sympathzc with the
a9larian classes from which they themselves
are mainly recruited in England the Queen 5
Jubilee was made the occasion of graceful
tribute to "A Protestant throne; and in Ger
many the May laws have been revoked after
protractcd negotiations in which Prince Bis
marcIx has made complete surrender 10 the
Vatican and gladly awaited himself Of It's po-
litical aid. These arc among the chief results
OF wise and statcsnanllke policy
In ono county, however, no attempt has
been made to conciliate hostile powers Of
state and opinion. in his letter 10 Cardinal
RampOlla the Pope re-allilms tho
extreme assumptions of Plus ~ respecting
temporal so, crclgnty in Italy, lie has never
ceased TO invcigh bitterly against the Govern
mcnt's interference with ancient ecclesiastical
plerogatlyeS and he now cautions his new
Secretary of State against abandoning the inn
pregnablc position held by Plus IN. While
he speaks in measured terms Of the advan-
tagcs to be derived from a reconciliation Of
Church and State, he revives in the most un-
conciiatory tone the Ultramontanc polcmics
Of the Roman question. The Italian press
has replied TO this challenge with one voice.
Rome, it asserts, must remain the capital of
The united kingdom and the Law of Guarantees
must continue to be the foundation of the
relations bctw cen Church and State. The
Roman question, the Liberals agree in saying.
has passed ont Of politics never to return.
and the Vatican is only squandcring its in
huencc and power in rebelling against exist
ing law and clamoring that tho Papacy must
never rcnouncc the ancient rights Of which
IT has been despoilcd. Dcprctls, who was II
moderate and conservative Radical, was never
willing so much as TO discuss the possibility
OF tho restoration of any part of Rome to the
Papal Court; and Crispi, who has succeeded
him, Is Radical Of the Radicals and will
never be drawn into negotiations for the
revision of existing laws Leo Kill. cannot